Hinged top for box cars



Feb. 18, 1930. B. B. CAMPBELL 1,747,423

HINGED TOP FOR B0X GARS Filled Jan- 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

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HINGED TOP FOR BOX CARS 1N V EN TOR. .BLA m BL/mv: CAM/Paal..

A TToR NE Ys.

Patented Feb. 1,8, 1.930

:BLAIR BURNS cAiviBBBLL,

OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA HINGBD A*rer B0B Box oABs "Application iled January 8, 1929. Serial N'o. 331,016.

R'Myinve'ntion Yrelates to improvements in hingedtops forbox cars, and it'consists'in'the f combinations, lconstructions and arrange-- 'for opening the entiretop ofthe car,.thusper "mitting cranes to'fbeI used instead" of human effort for 'unloadingthe cars. This results 1U `v in 'f a quicker f release of equipment, which :is a *saving to*V the railroads; and further 'results 'Vin cheaper handling cost to the shipper, because 'ranesican' 'dothe worlrof anumber of "men 'f-A'ffurther object-"of my invention lis tol prolv'ide `a 'deviceof'the typedes'c'ribe'd that has a 'Water-tight 'roof jor top whe'nthe top is closed, Iffivndiwhich has means i for preventing vthe spreading of the sides fof the.v car 'when'the 20 roof lis' in -closed position. 'Thev "device fhas novel means fory 'opening lone portion of the `yl`roof prior to'theotherin order to'autoni'atically release the 'locking devicegland' then Afor fmov-ing 'one portion lof *the 'roof faster than 25"the othertforfcausing both to reach wide-open I-"Iposition at thesame time.

/Other objects and v advantages l' will appear ias thespeciticati'onaprocee'ds, and the-=novel features of. 1thefclevice twill =be l particularly 139' pointed 'out inftheiappen'dedclaims.

J'My1 rinvention is lillustrated. `in the accompa'nying'difawingY in which e fFigure 1 'is a Itop planiviewvof'a boxear f showingfmyfdevice operatively applied there- Wto; f

Figures 91,: 3S and 4fare'sections along the 1lli11es'2-"2-,`3'3,and Mot Figure 1 y r V"Figure J5; is fan: endv elevation of the iupper -part offthe boxcar;

40. IF'gure 6 is a sectionfalong the line 6-'6 of fFigure f VfIrl-.carryingout:.myinvention, I make use ofastandard boxfcar t'hatlhas verticallyeextendingbra'ces 1 madeofinetahand U'-'shap'ed in cross section, and sheathing or siding 2 dis- -fposedionithe inner::sides of the braces 1. In rfcertainiftypeaofboxncars,'the vbraces arexdispose@ nsdefofftliessheathing. #device is adaptable to this type of box car, but I have chosen to illustrate the type just referred to.

Figure l shows Z bars 3 and 4: extending along the tops of the braces 1. Thesebars carry bearings 4 5 shows the bearings as being ends of shafts 6 and 7. 4may be disposed at 'predetermined and 5 (see Fig. 3). Figure` disposedk at the Additional bearings points along'the shafts in order to properly support the shafts.

l end of the box car.

I provide a center-opening roof for car, and I roof as being theleft half, lettered A,

rightihalf, lettered B. Each half is carried` by roof stringers 8 and 9, and these cured "to'angle bars 10 and 11 whichv The shafts extend from end to.

the box will refer to the two halves ofthe and the 'are fsein turn are riveted to brackets 12 and 13. The `brackets are keyed'tol the shafts 6 and 7 soy swung when the shafts are rotated.

as to be Themeans for rotating the shafts will nowv be explained. In Figure 5-,I show the shaft 6 asbeing provided with asegnientalfgear 1 4,

and the shaft 7 with aseginental gear 'cross shaft`16 carries awbevel Agear '17 l.that meshes with the gear 14, while a cross shaft Y18-carries a bevel gear 19 that meshes with 'thefgear 15. 'The gear17 is largerA in ter than the gear l19.

`diame- The reason for this is that VI-provide angle bars-20 and 21 (see Figure 4) that are'carportions A and B fand that engage/'with each 'other when these Vportions are in closed position for'preventing the sides ofthe car'froin spreading.: It is necessary to have the half B move. upwardly before the half A'starts to inove Vin order that the twoja'ngle bars from the other.

rotate. This will give the necessary sary to have the half A overtake the 20 andA 21 inaygunlockvone The crossi shaft -18 is there fore rotated .throughpractically ra complete. l revolution before 4the crossishaft 16` s tarts Vto lead to the half Bover the half'A. 'It ils thennecesin yorder that both will reach wideopenfposi- 'tionat the saine time. I accomplish the: two differentsized gears 17 and gear 17 requiring one -less revolu swing than is required lby the gear 19.

the half A into wide-open p ithis -by 19, the tion ,-.to osition 21j, i i

rIhe means for causingthe shaft Y13 to take substantially one complete revolution before actuating thefshaft 16 is shown in Figures 6 and 7. In Figure 7 I show the shaft 16 as carrying a ratchet 22'having a single tooth 23.'V `The shaft 18 carries a pawl 24. The pawl is normally in full-linefpositiongshown in Fig-v, ,iure 6. Whenalthe hand wheel 25 .shown in Figure is rotated `forcausing theY shaft A'18 to move counterclockwise in Figure 6, the

pawl 24 will take almost acomplete'revolui vbothwjill reach this position simultaneously.

f yA springfpressed triplpiece'26l locksv theg F.Zfpawl 24. against theV tooth .23. This ,permits the ygradual` lowering of theftwo halves A i and B and causes the half A to reach its position first. `'The worm and worm gear connecting the handgwheel'with they crossshaft 18 ,locks the halves AVv and Bagainst accidental movement. The trip-may now be released to y f permit vthe Other-half to swing vinto 'closed position. Y v Y 1 I provide means/for lmaking a water-tight 535 i f metalsections 27 and 28 overlap each otherY The roof stringers 8.a'nd9 already referred to 5 are U-shaped in'xcross'section as shown vin f Figure 2. At the edges of the halvesA and- Y QB, 1I dispose L-shaped roof stringers 29 that l' 50 Y ploy such changes as may Hcoine'withinfthev scope of the invention as claimed. y 5 l joint along the center of thereof where the two halves joineacli other.y Curved sheet when the. halves areinfclosed position and Y form a waterftight joint. f

i In Figure l1, IV showfa longitudinal section 'through-a portion "of theroof and one of, the end walls of the boxcar..r This section is fory fthe.l purpose of illustrating how the gendsof the ,box car are made water-tight when' the roof' portions are ,swung intoV closed position.

bear against the upper edges of the end walls 30 for Vforming a w'ater-tightvjoint. In this @way the' roof of the box carfwhen in closed' position: forms awater-tight connection withq .the side and-ends walls. v The overlapping .of fthe/angle lirons 10 'and 1,1"y on the Z bars 3 ande provides a water-'tight jointalong-.the

sides ofthe .box car.

. vAlthough'I'h'ave shown and described one embodiment :of v,my invention, it is to be un-;V iderstood that the same is susceptible of varirous changes, and I reserve Vthe right to em-Vv I claim: i. 1 1. Abox car having a roof consisting of two mae I shafts together,

yforlocking said pawl thereto,

vr'half sections, shafts extending along thesides' of the box car for swinging the sections, a v

locking device for the two halfsections,two

by said first-named shafts, a large anda small Vbevelledgear'carried by said cross shaftsl andv meshing with-said segmental gears, .1a hand aligned cross shafts, segmentalgears carried wheel .operatively connectedv to fthe cross shafts carrying the smaller bevelled wheel, a .i-

v pawl Vand a ratchetconnectingr the two crossL said pawl being carriedby the cross shaft carrying the small bevel gear and being` designed tofmake-substantially a .complete revolution before operatively con neoting the two cross shaftsfogether, and

manuallycontrolledmeansfcarriedby said ratchet 'for lockingsaidpawl-,theretq 1 I. v

two half sections, shafts `extending along the Vsides ofthe box car for swingingithe sections,` a locking device yfor the two half sections,

4two aligned cross shafts, segmental'gears carried by'said first-,named shafts, a largefand a small bevelled gear 'carried by vsaid cross shafts, a hand wheel operativelyfconneeted to 2.; Ay box -carl having-.abroof ,consisiting.v of

the cross shafts carrying the smaller bevelledr lwheel, a4 pawl anda Aratchet connecting Athe two cross shaftstogether, said 4pawl being carried by the cross shaft carrying thesmall bevel' gear and, being -designed tov "inakesubg stantially acomplete revolution ybefore :,opjer- -gether, manually controlled meanscarried by saidf-ratehety forlocking said pawl thereto, and' weather'strips extending along theabut-V ting kedges of said :roof sections and overlap-y ping for,formingjalwater;tight1joint when the yroofsections Vare closedn'. ,1 Y

jatively .connecting-the-.two crossshaftsto- 1 l3. A box car Ahaving aroof consistingfof two half sections, shafts extending'alongthe sides of the box car for swinging the-sections,

a lockingrdevice for` thetwo yhalf sectio`ns,'1two` aligned cross shafts, segmental gearsfcarried Y by saidifirst-named shafts,-,allarg`egahdja small bevelled `gear carried by said cross shafts, a hand wheelope-ratively.connected to the cross l shafts carrying the .smaller bevelled wheel,

A a pawl and a ratchet vconnecting thetwo cross pawlwbeing'carried'by e Y and, being designedA to make substantially-,a Y

revolution ll before operatively lcon;v i i shafts together, said the cross shaft carrying the small bevel gear complete iio necting the two cross shafts together, manually controlled means carried by saidratchet weather strips extending alongl the abutting roof sectionsV vandi-overlapping for` forming: a water-tight joint when the roof sections, are closed, andangleirons carried ,by thefsides of vsaid roof sections and'cooperating with Vthe upper Vedges ofthe box'car itselfgfon providl ing a water-tight joint. Y. 1

4. A .box car havingaroof formedv inssections, means for first raising. one sectionand ,then raising the. other, said means causing the edges; .ofv r said v second raised section to move faster in order that both sections reach Wide-open position simultaneously.

5. A mechanism for raising two roof'sections of a box car and comprising parallel shafts operatively connected to the roof sections, a pair of aligned cross shafts, each cross shaft being connected to one of the parallel shafts by gearing, the gearing on one cross shaft turning its associate shaft more rapidly than the gearing connecting the other shaft With its associate shaft, said cross shafts being connected to each other by a pawl and ratchet designed to permit a complete revolution of one shaft before connecting the two together, and manually controlled means for operating'the cross shafts.

BLAIR BURNS CAMPBELL. 

